Friday, 9 December 2016

Tabrez Tambe from Thane Arrested in Libya

Thane man working with Islamic State caught in Libya: ATS

Mumbai: A 28-year-old Thane youth, who allegedly joined
terror outfit ISIS, has been apprehended by enforcement agencies in
Libya, ATS officials said on Saturday.
Tabrez Mohammad Tambe, a resident of Mumbra in neighbouring Thane
district was caught early this week from the oil-rich country, where he
had joined ISIS with his friend Ali, a senior ATS officer said on the
condition of anonymity.

Tabrez had left India earlier this year to go to Egypt for a job and
landed in Libya, where he was said to be fighting for ISIS against
US-backed forces, the officer said.
The ISIS recruit was in contact with his family till last week through cell phone and social media, he said.

Indian agencies were keeping a close watch on the activities of
Tabrez, more so after his younger brother approached ATS and filed a
complaint against him.
"Tabrez had been located to Libya and we were keeping an eye on his activities since last few months," the officer said.

Also, ATS is gathering information on whether some more people are in touch with Tabrez, he added.

Tabrez's family members had been asking him to return to India, but
he seemed to have taken fancy to the 'cushy' life with the terrorist
organisation and even asked them to join him and 'settle' down in the
country from where he is operating now.

"Sensing that he was in the wrong place, his (Tabrez's) brother asked
him to return to India but he rejected the plea and said you (family
members) come here as life is cushy," an ATS official said on Friday.
Tabrez was in contact with his wife, brother and mother and told the family about his activities for the banned Islamic State.
ATS feels Tabrez, who completed his post graduation in cargo
management and transportation and got married three years ago, has
actively participated in ISIS operations.

He visited some countries in the last five years for jobs, the
official had said adding it was Ali who prompted Tabrez to join ISIS.
Both knew each other as they worked together at Riyadh in Saudi Arabia a year ago, he said.

"We are collecting information about Ali. We are not sure whether Ali
is Indian or not. As per our information, he has visited India before,"
Mumbai ATS chief Atulchandra Kulkarni said.
ATS has already registered offences against Tabrez under various sections of Unlawful Activities Prevention UAPA.

Another Thane man allegedly joins ISIS: ATS

Mumbai: A 28-year-old man from Mumbra in
neighbouring Thane district has allegedly joined banned terror
organisation ISIS, according to the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS).
Tabrej Noor Mohammad Tambe, who had left the country to visit Egypt
and Libya, has joined ISIS and a complaint in this connection has been
lodged at Kalachowki unit of the ATS by this brother, Mumbai ATS chief
Atul Kulkarni said on Friday.

Tabrej is believed to have joined ISIS with one of his friends Ali
who is from Saudi Arabia. Tabrej was in contact with Ali since last few
years as both had worked together in Riyadh, the officer said.

ATS has registered an offence under sections of 16,18,18 (B),
20,38,39 of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). Further
investigation is underway.
Last month, the Lok Sabha was informed that NIA and state security
agencies have so far arrested 68 supporters of dreaded terror outfit
ISIS in various parts of the country.
According to Minister of State for Home, Hansraj Ahir a total of 50
people have been arrested by security agencies during the current year
of whom 11 belonged to Maharashtra.

ISIS is using various platforms to propagate its ideology and to attract recruits from across the world, he had said.

Life is good here, you must come too: ISIS recruit from Maharashtra tells family

Mumbai, Dec 10: Life is good here and you must come here too is
what the 28 year old Tabrez Mohammad Tambe told his family after he
allegedly joined the ISIS.
The Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad which is probing the case against
Tambe following a complaint by his brother says that he had travelled to
Libya to join the ISIS.

While the family pleaded with him to return as he landed in the wrong place, Tambe would tell them he had made up his mind. "It is nice over here and I am at the right place. You must come here too," Tambe told his family.
A team of the Central Intelligence Bureau is recording the statements of the family members along with the ISIS.
It has been found that Tambe had travelled along with a person called Ali to Libya.
The family suspects that it was Ali who may have indoctrinated Tambe.
Join me here:
Tambe was adamant and would not listen to his family.
He constantly reiterated that he was in the right place.
It is a good life here he would tell his family who tried everything to convince him to return.
Tambe a resident of Thane is said to have been brainwashed by Ali.
The ATS however does not have much information on Ali.

The investigators are trying to piece together evidence to gather more details on Ali.
All the information that has been pieced so far on Ali is based on the statements given by the family members.
The ATS and the Intelligence Bureau is trying to get more leads on Ali's credentials.
It appears that Tambe was in touch with Ali for long.
Ali may have indoctrinated him.
What we know is that Tambe had travelled along with Ali to Libya.
Ali had come to Thane from Saudi Arabia and spent time with Tambe in 2015.
A few months later he along with Tambe left India for Libya. The ATS says that both are with the ISIS now.

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Friday registered a case against a Mumbai youth who allegedly fled from India to join the terror outfit Islamic State (ISIS). The case against Tabrez Noor Mohammad Tambe has been registered on a complaint filed by his brother.

ISIS: Visit by Pak national to Thane under ATS scanner

Mumbai, Dec 12: Indian officials are in touch with their counterparts in
Libya to secure the release of Tabrez Mohammad Tambe who is alleged to
have joined the ISIS. His custody is extremely important for the
Maharashtra ATS which is trying to ascertain details about his friend
Ali who is from Pakistan.

Investigations show that Tambe had met with Ali in Saudi Arabia.
Tambe had been working in Saudi Arabia as a logistics officer. It is
here that that is came in contact with Ali who is then alleged to have
influenced him to join the ISIS.
Tambe originally hails from
Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra. He did his schooling there before he
moved with his family to Mumbra. His parents have told the ATS that he
was good at studies. He showed no signs of extremism. In fact he was
good at sports and also took part in a lot of charity events. They say
that it was only after he came in contact with Ali did his perception
change.

Mumbai: Neighbours ask ISIS man’s relative to leave

Mumbai: Residents of Mumbra’s Saif building have
asked Tabrez Tambe’s mother and siblings to vacate the sixth floor flat
they had been living in on rent, following the news of Tabrez, 28,
joining the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

It was Tabrez’s younger brother, Saud, who had informed the
Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) last Thursday that his elder brother, the
former, has joined the banned outfit and could be in detention in Libya.
ATS officials had questioned the building’s residents for three days to
get clues.

Mumbra IS recruit deposited Rs 5 lakh into brother's account

To facilitate his and friend’s journey
to Egypt, ISIS recruit from Mumbra, Tabrez Tambe had deposited Rs 5.17
lakh in his brother’s bank account before leaving the country in
January, ATS officials said yesterday. Tambe had left in January along
with his friend Ali Al Shahri, a Saudi national. Tambe was detained in
Libya recently.

Few days before his journey to join the terror group, Tambe had
deposited Rs 4.20 lakh on January 5 and Rs 97,000 on January 8 in his
brother Saud Tambe’s account with a private bank. The money was meant
for their ticket fare, according to the officials. It is also revealed
that Ali had sent Rs 26,883 to Tambe through Western Union Money
Transfer in November 11 this year. ATS is investigating whether the duo
undertook their planned journeys or not.

ATS is investigating the visa applications of Tambe and Ali for Egypt
which were made through a Delhi-based travel agency and ticketing done
by a famous travel company which has its office in Gurgaon and the
transaction done through Western Union Money Transfer.

Ali Al Shahiri, suspected member of the
so-called Islamic State (IS) who allegedly brainwashed Mumbra youth
Tabrez Tambe to join the terror group, is believed to have been killed
in Libya, said sources in the ATS. However, the agency has made no
official confirmation on the development.

Ali, who became Tambe’s friend after they worked together in Saudi Arabia, had allegedly indoctrinated Tambe. Ali had come to India in 2015. He and Tambe left India in January
2016, saying they were going to Egypt for a job. Later, the family
member received a phone call from Tambe informing them that he has
joined IS in Libya. Tambe was detained in Libya recently. Sources claimed that recently ATS received information through
unofficial channels informing them that Ali has been killed on December
15 in an attack by Libya. After this ATS is now trying to verify this
through the Ministry of External Affairs. Senior ATS officials remained
tight-lipped on the development.

Youth's alleged decision to join ISIS forces his family to leave Mumbai

Ever since Tabrez Tambe (28) was
suspected of leaving Mumbra to join terror outfit ISIS in Libya, his
family has been paying the price. Facing a barrage of questions from not
just the police but also nosy neighbours, the family had no choice but
to leave Mumbra and move to their hometown in Ratnagiri.
"All their neighbours had heard about the case. They were constantly
being interrogated by the police and the neighbours were also asking
questions, like, how could Tabrez have joined ISIS," a close relative of
the Tambe family told mid-day.
The family had been living in a rented house (room number 604) at
Saif Apartment in Shibli complex since February 2016. Tabrez had never
been to this house, as he had already left for Libya a month before.
In the first week of December, he called his brother, Saud Tambe,
claiming that he had been trapped and wanted to come back to Mumbai.
"He told Saud that he was lured with the promise of a plum job but
had been cheated. He said he was surrounded by unrest and there were
regular airstrikes. We assumed he was trapped in an extremist group and
so we informed the police," said the relative.
On December 9, ATS officials interrogated Saud and took down statements from all the family members.
"The news spread across Mumbai and Mumbra and this has affected the
family, who had to leave Mumbra. Their rent agreement had come to an end
anyway, so they shifted to Ratnagiri," said a neighbour who was close
to the family.
Tabrez's wife also moved out to her mother's home and is no longer in touch with the Tambe family.
A family member said, "We approached the ATS asking for help to bring
Tabrez back. We were given assurance by the investigation agencies that
they would bring him back, but no progress is seen in the investigation
yet. Instead, the cops have seized three of our laptops, eight mobile
phones and other gadgets. Tabrez is innocent and once he returns, the
facts will be proved."

IS suspect Tambe to ‘return’ home from Libya in two months

Tabrez Tambe (28), the Mumbra resident, who
allegedly fled to Libya to join the banned terror outfit Islamic State
(IS), is currently in the custody of the Libyan army. Sources from the
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) revealed that they are touch with the
Libyan authorities and Tambe would be brought back to India within two
months. “We have already spoken to Libyan authorities and with proper
procedure we would able bring back him in next two months.”

The MEA officials have allegedly also established contact with Tambe
and have asked him to return to the country and face the probe. They
spoke to him two months ago on the telephone on “encrypted channels”.
He is wanted in a case registered by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism
Squad (ATS) last December, under the anti–terror unlawful activities
prevention Act (UAPA). The MEA has approached various power centres in
Libya to facilitate Tambe’s return. Tambe allegedly joined the IS in September 2016. He worked as a cargo
handler and had left his home on the pretext of getting work in Egypt.

His family learnt of his IS connection when he contacted his brother,
Saud, in December 2016. He told him that he had been arrested in Libya. Tambe went Libya to join the ISIS with his friend Ali. Despite
repeated attempts, Saud was unavailable for comment. Sources from the
MEA confirmed that senior officials had spoken to Tambe 15 days ago.
“Efforts will be taken to bring Tabrez back to India. Ali is still
untraceable and it is still unclear where he has gone,” the source said.